1899,] REPTILES OF THE MALAY PENINSULA AND SIAM. 617 



species, but I have never caught it wild myself. A specimen that 

 'was given me alive, at Bangkok, had unfortunately no history, 

 except that it came from somewhere " up country." At Hinlap, 

 in the Dong Phya Pai (Forest of the Lord of Fire), 700 feet above 

 the sea, I found a carapace near the village. In the King of 

 yiam's gardens, in Bangkok, there are several individuals, but I 

 could not ascertain where they came from originally. In the Ayer 

 Etam Tortoise Temple I was surprised to see two specimens of 

 T. elomjata, as it has not hitherto been recorded from the Peninsula. 

 The man in charge told me they were caught in the Penang Hills ; 

 and it is probably true, as one cannot well imagine why they 

 should be brought there from Burma, as Ayer Etam is situated in 

 the interior of Penang, almost surrounded by hills, some miles from 

 the coast. The British Museum Catalogue mentions specimens 

 from the Laos Mountains and Cambodia, collected by M. Mouhot, 

 and one specimen from Cochinchina. 



Description. A Penang specimen had no nuchal shield. 



Habits. Those of most land-tortoises, hisses when alarmed, eats 

 vegetable foods, and appears to prefer bananas to anything else. 



Colour (in life). Carapace and plastron very pale yellowish 

 brown, each scale with an irregular black blotch. Head and neck 

 very pale green, almost white. Limbs pale greenish horn-colour. 

 Iris very dark brownish grey, almost blnck. 



Size. A Siamese specimen, now in the Zoological Society's 

 Gardens, measured in May 1897 : — 



Length of carapace following curve 300 mm. 



Breadth „ „ „ .... 248 „ 



The Hinlap specimen measured, length of carapace foUovring 

 curve 330 mm. 



A Penang specimen measured : — 



Length of carapace following curve 350 mm. 



Breadth „ „ „ 312 „ 



Hob. Bengal (Chaibassa), Burma, Siam, Cambodia, Cochinchina, 

 and Malay Peninsula. 



Family Chelonid^. 



The three species of Sea-Turtles are collectively called by the 

 Siamese : — 



" Tou," applied to any tortoise or turtle. 



" Tou-ta-noo " or " tou-ta-nuk," 1 ,■ , ,, 



"Ta^noo-tou," | any big turtle. 



" Samett," local name for Sea-Turtles at Kofai, Gulf of Siam ; 

 and by the Malays " kiira," " penyu," or " pinyii." 

 In calm weather, in the Straits of Malacca and in the Gulf of 

 Siam, one not unfrequently, when on board a steamer, passes a 

 turtle swimming near the surface, sometimes showing only its 

 broad curved back or its long flippers, sometimes putting its head 

 right up out of the water. 



